UPDATED: Memorial Beach is Open (VIDEO)

Friday, July 1 UPDATE — Memorial Beach has fully reopened, according to the Marlborough Board of Health.

_ _ _ _ _

UPDATE 5:25 p.m. — The State and the Marlborough Board of Health have reopened the right-hand side of Memorial Beach for swimming, said Assistant Sanitarian Deirdre O'Connor. 

"We hope that the whole beach will be open in time for the Fourth of July," said O'Connor. "We are currently retesting and will have the next set of test results on Friday."

_ _ _ _ _

UPDATE  2:15 p.m. — Marlborough's Assistant Sanitarian Deirdre O'Connor said that the most recently test results at Memorial Beach should be available after 4 p.m. today. 

A high E. Coli count in the water at Memorial Beach forced the closure Tuesday afternoon. This phenomenon could be due to a variety of reasons.

"It is tough to say with a fresh body of water," said O'Connor, who added that there were no closures in Marlborough last year. "It could have to due with the hot weather, or it could be due to a flock of geese or a flock of diapers."

Water patterns and currents are also contributing factors, she added.

Samples from the beach are taken frequently and allowed to grow for 24 hours before they are examined. 

"We look for colony forming units," she said. "The State limit (in a sample) is 235 and our results from two different areas of the beach were 290 and 540."

Check back with Marlborough Patch to see if Memorial Beach will reopen on Thursday.

_ _ _ _ _
Early into the summer swimming season, Marlborough beach-goers have some dirty water on their hands.

The Marlborough Recreation Department announced Tuesday on the City's website that Memorial Beach, 686 Hosmer St., would be closed for a short time due to high bacteria levels in the water. 

"To ensure the safety of swimmers, the Board of Health has temporarily closed Memorial Beach to water activities," said a release. "The Board of Health is re-testing the water, and the beach will reopen once bacterial counts return to acceptable limits."

So early in the swimming season, officials were questioned by Marlborough Patch as to the reasons for the elevated bacteria levels. 

"The testing came back higher than the level the State allows and that is why the beach is closed," said John Rowe, chairman of the Board of Health. "In my opinion it could have something to do with all the rain and nobody using the water. There has not been a lot of movement in the water, possibly causing some stagnant areas."

Deirdre O'Connor, assistant sanitarian for the City of Marlborough and the person who originally discovered the elevated bacteria levels, was not immediately available to talk about some of the science behind this development. 

The Board of Health office said O'Connor was currently out in the field testing the water. 

Rowe said they hope to open the beach as soon as possible. 

Learneds Pond in Framingham is also due to water quality issues. 

Check back with Marlborough Patch later in the day for more (plus photos) on the Memorial Beach closing. 

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on the latest Marlborough news, or simply hit the "like" button at the top of this page.